Compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-Traumatic Stress disorder is defined by NHS Choices as “an anxiety disorder
caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.”

Victims of PTSD are able to claim compensation for the condition if someone else
is at fault. However, it can be difficult to claim compensation for PTSD for without
the aid of legal advice. This is because in many instances the symptoms can take
weeks, months and, in some cases, years to commence and without an experienced lawyer
helping you, you may find it difficult to prove your claim.

The types of events that we come across that can result in post-traumatic stress
disorder following a holiday include:

Accidents involving catastrophic injuries such as trips, slips and falls at hotels

Essentially, PTSD can develop in a situation where the victim feels a sense of extreme
fear, terror in circumstances that they are unable to control.

How Much Compensation Can I Claim

The Simpson Millar Travel Lawyers have considerable experience in dealing with post-traumatic
stress disorder arising from holiday incidents. If you are thinking about making
a claim we suggest that you speak to one of our lawyers today about how we can help
you.

How much compensation can be claimed for PTSD depends on a number of factors such
as the severity and duration of the condition, treatment required and whether there
have been any additional expenses such as loss of earnings.

Primarily victims can claim compensation for the suffering element of the condition.
Where the victim has been able to make a prompt recovery the awards tend to be in
the region of £2800 to £5875. However awards can be as high as £71,850 in more severe
cases where symptoms are permanent.

With lengthy NHS waiting lists and limited treatment available, the tour operator
responsible will pay for the costs of your treatment if they accept liability or
fault.

If the symptoms are so severe that you have required time off work or you have lost
your job, you may also be able to claim for past and future loss of earnings.

Symptoms of PTSDS

The symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder include:

Flashbacks, nightmares or memories about the incident

Fear syndromes and avoidance of things that may remind you about the event (such
as air travel)

Feelings of depression, exhaustion, and an inability to cope

Mood swings, eating disorders and alcohol and drug dependency

It is essential that if you think you might be experiencing PTSD that you do something
about it either by contacting your GP or approaching one of the many charitable
organisations that may be able to offer guidance.

We appreciate that for many, it is not easy to talk about some of the symptoms.
Our trained lawyers will be sensitive to your situation and any conversations you
have with us will be strictly confidential.

What do I have to do if I want to Claim

We aim to take the stress out of the litigation process. At the outset we will ask
you to complete a couple of questionnaires to give us all the information we need
to simplify the process. We will then fully represent you in terms of writing all
the letters, negotiating and completing the relevant court documents. It is likely
that you will need to attend a medical appointment with an expert we appoint in
order that we know what treatment you may require and how long your symptoms are
likely to last.

Once all that is done we will advise you what your claim is worth and how much compensation
should be proposed to the other side.

We should emphasise that the overwhelming majority of our cases are resolved without
the need to issue court proceedings; and very few of our cases go to a trial because
we are usually able to negotiate with the other side – tour operators tend not to
want the adverse publicity that a trial may bring.

Contact us Today

If you are thinking about legal representation we suggest that you contact us today
about how we can help you by calling us or sending us an email.

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